Evolution of a Multisite Network Information System: The LTER Information Management Paradigm

Abstract

urban watershed, coastal estuary, eastern deciduous forest, tropical rain forest, tallgrass prairie—these are just a few of the ecosystems represented in the 24 sites of the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Network (Franklin et al. 1990). By combining information from the diverse ecosystems represented in the LTER network, participants have a unique opportunity for large-scale investigations of complex phenomena like climate change, biodiversity, soil dynamics, and environmental policy. In 1996, to facilitate data exchange and synthesis from its multiple sites, LTER launched the LTER Network Information System (NIS), based on an independent site and central office organizational infrastructure. Other organizational partnerships provide examples of earlier efforts also focused on communications and data sharing: the Worm Community System, the Flora of North America Project (FNAP), and the Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS). The Worm Community System was developed—before Internet connectivity became available—as a collaborative software environment through which its 1400 widely dispersed researchers could share information on the genetics, behavior, and biology of the soil nematode species Caenorhabditis elegans. Insight into the complexity of a network structure was gained through attention to the design and analysis of both the system’s structure and usability (Star and Ruhleder 1996). The FNAP system, in contrast, was developed with Internet technology. The FNAP, with a goal of identifying and cataloging all plant species, uses online technology to create